Alex Greenwald

Alexander Greenwald is an American musician, actor, and model born on October 9, 1979, in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the frontman, lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band Phantom Planet, which he co-founded in 1994 during his teenage years. The group achieved widespread commercial recognition following the release of their 2002 album The Guest, featuring the popular single "California," which gained enduring fame as the theme song for the television drama series The O.C.

Alongside his music career, Greenwald established himself in fashion and screen acting. In the early 2000s, he achieved prominence as a model, featuring heavily in national commercial and print advertising campaigns for the retail clothing brand Gap. As an actor, he portrayed the character Seth Devlin in the 2001 psychological thriller film Donnie Darko. He also made television appearances, including a guest role on the sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and contributed voice work to animated projects early in his career.

Beyond Phantom Planet, Greenwald has participated in multiple side projects, supergroups, and solo endeavors. He was a founding member of the indie pop collective JJAMZ, which later rebranded under the name Phases and signed with Warner Bros. Records. In 2014, he released a solo album titled Yo. Additionally, Greenwald has been a long-time collaborator of British musician and producer Mark Ronson, appearing as a vocalist on Ronson's record Version, including a featured performance on a cover of Radiohead's song "Just."

Over the years, Greenwald has extended his creative work into record production, writing and producing tracks for various indie rock and pop artists. Following hiatuses, Phantom Planet reunited to record new material and undertake tour dates, including the release of their fifth studio album, Devastator, in 2020. Greenwald continues to write, produce, and perform across diverse musical formats.